they only see government working on civilian protection. there is no impartiality. >> the perception is they're neutral to the organizations. >> regardless of their faith? >> regardless of their faith. i think the number is a mixture of hindus, christians and muslims. >> the group is now based in belgium but was started in minneapolis, co-founder mel duncan says his earliest inkling that the concept might work came in the '80s. he was living in nicaragua where he went as a peace activist during the civil war there. >> what we found over a seven-year period is none of those villages were attacked when there was an international presence. this was in a period of a war where 50,000 people were being killed. >> refining and putting the idea into practice took years of studying similar attempts, he says, including an ill-fated one during bosnibosnia's civil war. >> in the mid-'90s there was an effort in sarajevo where people from europe re recruited and many not trained and came into a situation where they, in fact, drew artillery into the areas